Tate Forcier talks about his progress during Michigan's spring practice

File: Lon Horwedel, The Ann Arbor NewsTate Forcier, who graduated in December from high school in California, has steeped himself in Michigan's playbook and is taking 12 academic credits. "This is his first college semester, and it's a lot athletically and a lot academically," Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said. "He's gonna make mistakes and he has, but to be eight practices in, he's progressed as fast as we could have hoped."

When Tate Forcier started weight training at Schembechler Hall during the winter, the early returns were less than impressive, the freshman quarterback acknowledged.

"Coming in here, you're lifting a 45-(pound) plate on each side, it's pretty pathetic," Forcier said of his bench press performance.

But since then, Forcier said his advancement in the weight room nicely mirrors his overall progress.

"You come along faster than you thought you would," he said before spring practice Thursday.

With Nick Sheridan sidelined for the rest of the spring by a fractured leg, Forcier has climbed to the top of the depth chart for the Wolverines, and it appears he's acquitting himself well.

"Most guys his age (are) still in high school at this point, so he's made a lot of progress," Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said. "This is his first college semester, and it's a lot athletically and a lot academically. He's gonna make mistakes and he has, but to be eight practices in, he's progressed as fast as we could have hoped."

Forcier - who graduated in December from high school in California - said that in addition to taking 12 academic credits, he started steeping himself in Michigan's playbook as soon as he arrived on campus, working several hours a day with the coaches.

"They want their quarterbacks to think just like they're thinking," Forcier said. "You have to manage the game. That's where they're trying to get us to. I'm obviously not there yet."

In terms of accelerating his learning, Forcier said he has leaned heavily on Sheridan. A four-game starter last fall, Sheridan has not only helped tutor Forcier, he's also befriended him. The two spend time together away from the football building, and take in a meal together now and again.

In addition to getting used to the bigger size and faster speed of college players, Forcier has had to adapt to less obvious things, like handling the shotgun snaps from center David Molk.

"In high school, you get those slow shotgun snaps," he said, "These come back like rockets."

Asked if he might be able to earn the starting position for Michigan's season opener, Forcier would say only that "it's possible."

"Coach Rodriguez already made it clear that nobody's going to win the job in spring. It's going to come in the fall," Forcier said. "I've seen so much improvement with Nick since last year; you tell he's so much more comfortable with the offense. I feel like right now I'm kind of at the point he was last year. We've kind of got to see how it plays out."